9 January 2015 A.D. Suffragan Bishop Cook:
DUI (BAC=0.22), Vehicular Homocide, Texting While Driving, & Felonious
Fleeing Accident Scene
Duncan, Ian & Justin Fenton. “Bishop charged with manslaughter in death of cyclist Thomas Palermo.” Baltimore Sun. 9 Jan 2015. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/north-baltimore/bs-md-ci-palermo-announcement-20150109-story.html#page=1. Accessed 9 Jan 2015.
By Ian Duncan and Justin Fenton The Baltimore
Sun
Manslaughter; DUI and texting while driving
charges to be filed in death of Thomas Palermo
Bishop
Heather Cook facing charges in fatal collision with cyclist
Bishop
Suffagan Heather Elizabeth Cook turned herself into police mid-Friday afternoon
and was being processed at Central Booking, police said. A court commissioner
was expected to determine her bail in the evening, a judiciary spokeswoman
said.
She
faces numerous other charges including leaving the scene of a fatal accident
and driving under the influence. Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said
Cook's breath alcohol content was .22, nearly triple the legal limit in
Maryland.
Both
the manslaughter and leaving the scene charge carry a maximum sentence of 10
years imprisonment.
Mosby
said at a news conference Friday that she had met with Palermo's family
Thursday to update them on the investigation.
"I've
assured them that no one is above the law," she said.
The
case has roiled Baltimore's cycling community while casting scrutiny on the
Episcopal Diocese, which elevated Cook to its second-highest rank in May
despite a 2010 drunken-driving conviction. It also raised questions about the
justice system and whether the delay in charges was unusual.
The
Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, said in
a statement that the organization was "deeply heartbroken over this, and
we cry for the Palermo family, our sister Heather and all in the community who
are hurting."
The
collision happened on the afternoon of Dec. 27 as Palermo was cycling through
Roland Park.
Mosby
said that both Cook and Palermo were heading south on Roland Avenue when Cook
veered into the bike lane and struck Palermo from behind. Palermo was thrown
onto the hood of her 2001 Subaru and hit the windshield, Mosby said.
Cook was spotted 30 minutes after the crash heading north on the same street
and went home before returning to the scene, Mosby said. She was taken to the
Baltimore Police's central district station, where she was given a Breathalyzer
test.
Mosby
also alleged that Cook was texting at the time of the collision.
The
church had previously released a detailed timeline of what they knew about the
December crash that made no mention of Cook allegedly being drunk or text
messaging.
Sharon
J. Tillman, a spokeswoman for the Episcopal Church, said officials were aware
Cook had been drinking before the accident and had been texting while driving,
but police requested they withhold certain information.
"We
were cooperating with police in their investigation throughout," she said.
Cook
previously pleaded guilty to a 2010 drunken driving charge on the Eastern Shore
in which she registered a .27 blood-alcohol level.
Cook's
previous case was not revealed to Episcopal church clerics and laymen who
elected her to the post of Bishop Suffragan in May, and the national Episcopal
Church has started an investigation, which a former longtime Bishop of Maryland
said could lead to Cook being stripped of her position.
Mosby,
who took over the State's Attorney's office this week and was just sworn in
Thursday night, announced the charges at a packed news conference on Friday
morning. The charges come after days of angst among supporters of the
41-year-old Palermo's family, who questioned why Cook had not been more
promptly arrested.
Police,
defense attorneys and former investigators have said that it is not unusual for
such cases — crashes resulting in deaths — to take weeks or even months before
charges are filed. But some observers have noted that the elements of the
incident that led to charges were known to police and prosecutors on the day of
the crash.
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